I was just talking with a colleague the other day about planning time – and I expressed how grateful I am for the time we get during the school day to do our planning. After all, good instruction can’t happen without good planning.
There are so many things to keep in mind as you are planning for your world language classes…
- What are my students’ proficiency levels?
- Am I getting my students to work in all three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational?
- Am I addressing a “big picture” item – like an Essential Question or an Enduring Understanding?
- Am I building on what my students already know?
- Am I properly preparing for the next thing they need to know how to do?
I hear a lot of teachers who get stressed out over planning and spend hours on honing the perfect lessons. That is certainly not a sustainable lifestyle. If you roughly map out your year, then your individual units, and then spend more time on your individual lessons, you’ll have a good framework to follow. With the manageable pieces identified, you’ll feel more comfortable with planning a few days to a week in advance on your lessons.
For a more step-by-step guide to planning for instruction, please check out my self-paced learning module: Planning for Instruction. Versal requires you to register, but it’s free!
Nathan Lutz 